Dynamic Radio Resource Provisioning Based on Network Capability Parameter

ABSTRACT

A method of provisioning radio resources to a user equipment (UE) by a cell site. The method comprises receiving by a cell site an indication of a UE capability from a UE, determining by the cell site a value of a network capability parameter to associate to the UE that is less than a maximum value of the network capability parameter that is compatible with the UE capability category of the UE, wherein the determining is based on a subscription service plan associated with the UE, and providing radio resources to the UE by the cell site based on the determined value of the network capability parameter, wherein the network capability parameter defines one of a radio modulation level, a carrier aggregation (CA) state, and a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/083,052 filed onOct. 28, 2020, entitled “Dynamic Radio Resource Provisioning Based onNetwork Capability Parameter” by Anurag Thantharate, et al., which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication networks provide nearly ubiquitous connectivityto a wide variety of wireless devices including mobile phones, wearablecomputers, laptop computers, and intelligent devices embedded invehicles and other machines. These various mobile communication devicesmay each have different capabilities for using wireless resources, interms of frequencies, frequency bandwidths, modulation techniques, anddata rates.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a method of provisioning radio resources to a userequipment (UE) by a cell site is disclosed. The method comprisesreceiving by a cell site an indication of a UE capability from a UE,receiving by the cell site an indication from the UE of an applicationcurrently being used by the UE, and determining by the cell site thatthe UE is opted in for assignment of radio resources to the UE that areless than the maximum radio resources consistent with the UE capabilityof the UE. The method further comprises determining by the cell site avalue of a network capability parameter to associate to the UE that isless than a maximum value of the network capability parameter that iscompatible with the UE capability of the UE, wherein the determining isbased on a subscription service plan associated with the UE and based onthe application being used by the UE and providing radio resources tothe UE by the cell site based on the determined value of the networkcapability parameter.

In another embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The UEcomprises a radio transceiver, a processor coupled to the radiotransceiver, a non-transitory memory coupled to the processor, and aservice selection application stored in the non-transitory memory. Whenexecuted by the processor the service selection application analyzes ahistory of data usage of the UE while executing an application and,based on the analysis of the history of data usage, estimates a futuredata usage when executing the application by the UE. The serviceselection application further estimates a data service price based onthe estimate of future data usage when executing the application andpresents a user interface presenting a plurality of different networkcapability parameter values and for each network capability parametervalue presents a data service price based on the estimated data serviceprice. The service selection application further receives a user inputselecting one of the network capability parameter values and transmitsan indication of the user selected network capability parameter value toa serving cell site, whereby the UE promotes a user controlling radioresource allocation by the cell site to the UE in a range from a maximumradio resource allocation consistent with a maximum UE capability of theUE to a minimum radio resource allocation supported by the cell site.

In yet another embodiment, a method of provisioning radio resources to auser equipment (UE) by a cell site is disclosed. The method comprisesreceiving by a cell site an indication of a UE capability from a UE,determining by the cell site a value of a network capability parameterto associate to the UE that is less than a maximum value of the networkcapability parameter that is compatible with the UE capability of theUE, wherein the determining is based on a subscription service planassociated with the UE, and providing radio resources to the UE by thecell site based on the determined value of the network capabilityparameter, wherein the network capability parameter defines one of aradio modulation level, a carrier aggregation (CA) state, and a multipleinput multiple output (MIMO) state.

These and other features will be more clearly understood from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, referenceis now made to the following brief description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein likereference numerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of another method according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a user equipment (UE) according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a hardware architecture of a UE accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are block diagrams of a 5G communication networkaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of a software architecture of a UE accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a block diagram of another software architecture of a UEaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a computer system according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, thedisclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number oftechniques, whether currently known or not yet in existence. Thedisclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may bemodified within the scope of the appended claims along with their fullscope of equivalents.

During attach of a user equipment (UE) to a cell site (e.g., a gigabitenhanced nodeB (gNB)), the cell site assigns the UE a network capabilityparameter that the cell site uses to allocate radio resources and/orcommunication resources to the UE. For example, the cell site may decidebased on the network capability parameter whether to configure thewireless link for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radiooperations, for carrier aggregation (CA) operation, for a 16-quadratureamplitude modulation (QAM), a 64-QAM, or 256-QAM operation.Conventionally this network capability is assigned by the cell sitebased on an appraisal or estimation of the hardware capabilities of theUE. The UE may provide information to the cell site describing invarious ways its hardware capabilities, for example identifying itsability to conduct MIMO operations, its ability to engage in CAoperations, a maximum QAM constellation that it supports, a chipsetinstalled in the UE, and/or other hardware capabilities. In anembodiment, the UE may provide information describing its hardwarecapabilities by sending UE capability information in a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message sent by the UE to the cell site.

Conventionally, the cell site assigns a network capability parameter tothe UE that reflects the maximum hardware capabilities of the UE. Thiscan result in excess radio resources being allocated to the UE by thecell site. For example, just because the UE may be able to support MIMOdoesn't mean that the cell site ought to allocate MIMO operationresources to the UE. For example, it may be that a given UE, during aworking day, historically only uses voice call and text message services(because the user may rely on his or her laptop computer connected to aLAN for ad hoc data access services instead of his or her UE). In manycircumstances, allocating MIMO operation resources to the UE for voiceand text message services is unnecessary and may make these MIMOoperation resources unavailable for use by another UE attached to thesame cell site. The present disclosure teaches a system for determiningnetwork capability parameter assignment based on a more sophisticatedanalysis of UE needs, based not only on the maximum hardwarecapabilities of the UE but additionally on other factors such as one ormore of a historic pattern of UE usage of radio resources, asubscription plan of the subscriber, an identity of an applicationcurrently in use by the UE, an estimation of current network loading, acurrent value of a dynamically assessed data volume service fee, and/oruser opt-in actions.

An application or SDK on the UE will aggregate application data usagestatistics, measure the data volume and/or data rate that theapplications consume, and track what applications a user is using andwhen the user is using them. This application or SDK may be referred toas a data usage tracker application. A usage analytics application onthe UE will analyze the aggregated data usage statistics and produceestimates of data usage for the user—for example data traffic consumedby each different application executed on the UE. The estimates maydistinguish between down-link data throughput and up-link datathroughput. These usage estimates may be referred to as usage analytics.The UE provides these usage analytics periodically to a central servermaintained by a service provider. In an embodiment, this central servermay select the network capability parameter value to assign to the UEbased on the associated usage analytics for the UE as well as based onthe information about the hardware capabilities of the UE (again,effectively establishing a maximum) and based on historical networkloading. Alternatively, the central server may provide the usageanalytics to the cell sites, and the cell site to which the UE attachesmay determine the network capability parameter value to assign to theUE, based on the usage analytics, based on the hardware capabilities ofthe UE, based on historical network loading, and based on capabilitiesof the specific cell site.

In an embodiment, the UE may provide a user interface that a user canuse to opt-in or to opt-out to granting the communication network (e.g.,the cell site and/or servers in the carrier core network) theprerogative to assign the network capability parameter value to the UEbased not only on the maximum hardware capabilities of the UE butadditionally based on the other considerations of usage analytics ofthat UE, historical network loading, and/or other factors. Additionalfactors may include time of day, day of week, an indication of whichapplication is executing on the UE, and a location of the UE. Becauseuse of maximum hardware capabilities can sometime correlate withincurring higher service fees, for example in pre-paid service accountsand/or in post-paid service accounts with a maximum monthly data limit,this can incentivize users to be sparing in their usage of the networkresources. Alternatively, this can be seen as allowing users toprioritize where they allocate their expenditures on data. For example,a user may opt in to restrict data bandwidth associated with SMS/MMSmessage (who needs all the pictures and silly videos of squirrels waterskiing or what have you) but NOT opt in to restrict data bandwidthassociated with streamed audio. In an embodiment, user interface may beprovided by a mode selection manager application, and the mode selectionmanager application may itself determine a recommended networkcapability parameter value and send this to the cell site. The modeselection manager application may provide information to the user whenan application is launched that indicates an average data communicationusage of the application based on usage analytics information and promptthe user to either request increased radio resources from the cell siteto assure a good user experience when using the application or to reduceradio resources provided by the cell site whereby to reduce a datavolume based fee to the subscriber. Alternatively, the mode selectionmanager application may evaluate the average data communication usage ofthe application based on usage analytics information, compare that tothe current radio resources allocated to the UE, and prompt the user torequest increased radio resources, decreased radio resources, or remainsilent and not notify the user at all when the currently allocated radioresources match the expected data usage of the application.

The new process disclosed herein for determining the network capabilityparameter value and the optional behavior of prompting the user toopt-in or opt-out of determining the network capability parameter valueaccording to this process provide a particular information technology(IT) solution or solutions for allocating radio resources to UEs. Thisparticular IT solution involves coordination among applicationsexecuting on the UE and with the cell sites and possibly with networkservers. Describing abstractly and without reference to particularembodiments, a new monitoring tool on the UE and a new analysis tool onthe UE provide a more complex suite of data including history by time byapplication by location or combinations of these. A decision tool (onthe UE, at the cell site, or in the back office) assesses thecombination of type of device and maximum capability plus history plususer input (if opt in/opt out is provided) to set a max level for agiven app by location by time (or some combination). An application atthe cell site watches for changes in application executing on the UE,changes in location of the UE, takes time into consideration and mayupgrade or downgrade an ongoing or recurrent connection to thecalculated level for that UE. Data from sent from the UE to the cellsite may be modified to include as metadata for the attachment of the UEto the cell site. In an embodiment, the UE side solution involves a datausage tracker, a usage analytics application, and optionally a modeselection manager application. In an embodiment, the network sidesolution involves at least a cell site analytics application executingon the cell site that applies more sophisticated rules for allocatingradio resources to the UE. This particular IT solution provides benefitsof promoting more efficient distribution of limited and costly radioresources in a wireless communication network while at the same timesupporting user preferences for quality communication services.

Turning now to FIG. 1 , a communication system 100 is described. In anembodiment, the system 100 comprises a user equipment (UE) 102 thatcommunicates via a cell site 110 and a network 112 to othercommunication nodes such as mobile phones, content servers, applicationservers, or other communication destinations. The UE 102 may be a mobilephone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearablecomputer, a headset computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or anotebook computer. The UE 102 comprises a processor 104, a memory 106,and a cellular radio transceiver 108. The UE 102 may be provided awireless link by the cell site 110 using a 5G, a long term evolution(LTE), a code division multiple access (CDMA), or a global system formobile communication (GSM) telecommunication protocol. In an embodimentthe cell site 110 is a gigabit enhanced node B (gNB) cell site and thenetwork 112 comprises, at least in part, a 5G communication network.Further details of 5G communication networks are described hereinafterwith reference to FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B. The network 112 may comprise oneor more public networks, one or more private networks, or a combinationthereof. While only a single UE 102 and a single cell site 110 are shownin FIG. 1 , it is understood that the system 100 comprises any number ofUEs 102 and any number of cell sites 110.

The memory 106 comprises a non-transitory portion. In an embodiment, thenon-transitory portion of the memory 106 comprises a data usage trackerapplication 120, a user data usage analytics application 122, and awireless communication mode selection manager application 124. In anembodiment, the data usage tracker application 120 may be considered tobe a part of an operating system (OS) of the UE 102, for example autility embedded in the OS that provides an application programminginterface (API) that other applications can use to request informationfrom the data usage tracker application 120. While the applications 120,122, 124 are illustrated as separate applications, in an embodiment, twoor more of the applications 120, 122, 124 may be combined in a singleapplication. For example, in an embodiment, the data usage trackerapplication 120 may be a separate application (for example embedded inthe OS of the UE 102) and the functionality associated with the userdata usage analytics application 122 and the functionality associatedwith the wireless communication mode selection manager application 124may be combined in a single application. In an embodiment, all of thefunctionality associated with the applications 120, 122, 124 may becombined in a single application.

When the UE 102 and or the cellular radio transceiver 108 attach to thecell site 110, the cell site 110 may allocate radio resources to the UE102 based on a network capability parameter associated with thatspecific UE 102. The network capability parameter may be assigned by aserver 126 communicatively coupled to the network 112 or by the cellsite 110. The network capability parameter may be established by thecell site 110 based on a recommended network capability parameterprovided by the wireless communication mode selection managerapplication 124 of the UE 102. The cell site 110 may use the networkcapability parameter to determine, at least in part, what radiocommunication resources to allocate to the UE during the attach process.In part, the cell site 110 determines what radio communication resourcesto allocate to the UE based on the radio communication resources it iscapable of providing. If the network capability parameter associatedwith the UE 102 might suggest the use of 128-QAM, for example, but thecell site 110 supports a maximum of 64-QAM, the cell site 110 cannotallocate 128-QAM radio resources to the UE 102. The cell site 110 maydetermine what radio communication resources to allocate to the UE 102in part on other factors, for example based in part on a networkcongestion condition of the network 112.

The allocation of radio communication resources for the wireless link tothe UE 102 may comprise the designation of a modulation scheme, forexample a modulation scheme selected from 16-quadrature amplitudemodulation (16-QAM), 64-QAM, and 128-QAM. The allocation of radiocommunication resources for the wireless link to the UE 102 may comprisethe designation of a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) mode, forexample defining how many inputs and how many outputs to use or forexample defining that MIMO is not to be used and a single input, singleoutput mode is to be employed. The allocation of radio communicationresources for the wireless link to the UE 102 may comprise designating acarrier aggregation (CA) mode to use. The allocation of radiocommunication resources for the wireless link to the UE 102 may comprisedesignating properties of the wireless uplink from the UE 102 and of thewireless downlink to the UE 102. The allocation of radio communicationresources for the wireless link to the UE 102 may comprise designatingquality of service (QoS) levels for the wireless link to the UE 102.

In a first embodiment, the network capability parameter may bedetermined by the server 126; in a second embodiment, the networkcapability parameter may be determined by the cell site 110; in a thirdembodiment, the network capability parameter may be determined by the UE102. Whatever entity determines the network capability parameter, thisdetermination can be based on a plurality of different factors. Thenetwork capability parameter is based, in part, on the hardwarecapabilities of the UE 102. The hardware capabilities of the UE 102 maybe indicated by the UE 102 sending UE capability information in a radioresource control (RRC) message to the cell site 110 or by anothermessage. The cell site 110, in an embodiment, may send this UEcapability information on to the server 126. The UE capabilityinformation may identify a chipset installed in the UE 102, for examplean identity of the processor 104 and/or of the cellular radiotransceiver 108. The UE capability information may identify an antennaconfiguration of the UE 102. The UE capability information may identifya maximum QAM constellation capability of the UE 102. The UE capabilityinformation may identify radio frequency bands supported by the cellularradio transceiver 108.

The UE capability information may be considered to influence thedetermination of the network capability parameter by setting a maximumvalue of the network capability parameter. For example, if the UE 102 islimited to a maximum QAM constellation of 64-QAM, it would not besuitable to set a network capability parameter for the UE 102 thatdefines or is associated with a 128-QAM modulation scheme. As anotherexample, if the UE 102 is unable to support CA operation, it would notbe suitable to set a network capability parameter for the UE 102 thatdefines or is associated with a CA operation mode. Just because a UE 102may be capable of using advanced radio resources, however, doesn't meanthat the UE 102 will in fact make use of those advanced radio resources,and in that circumstance it may be an inefficient allocation of limitedradio resources to allocate advanced radio resources to the UE 102 whenit will not use them. For example, if a UE 102 that is able to supportall advanced radio resources is used only for conducting voice calls andtext messaging in a business park with excellent cellular radio coverageduring the work day, it may not be efficient to allocate advanced radioresources to the UE 102 during the work day. By contrast, if the same UE102 is frequently used for conducting high data throughput video gamesbetween 9 PM and 11 PM in a rural area with sketchy cellular radiocoverage, then allocating advanced radio resources to the UE 102 may bedesirable during the hours 9 PM to 11 PM.

The present disclosure teaches taking into account an estimation of theUE 102 use of radio resources in determining the network capabilityparameter for the UE 102. The estimation may be based on an analysis ofhistorical data volumes and/or data rates used by the UE 102 per timepartition and per day of week. The estimation may be based on ananalysis of historical data volumes and/or data rates used by specificapplications on the UE 102.

The data usage tracker 120 collects data on the wireless data volumesand/or wireless data rates used by the UE 102 and stores thisinformation in the memory 106. This data, which may be referred to asusage data, may be accumulated and/or counted per unit of time, forexample as counts of data bytes over a 10 minute time period, counts ofdata over a 30 minute time period, counts of data over an hour timeperiod, or counts of data over some other time period. The data usagetracker 120 may segregate data counts per application, so that usagedata related to using a first application on the UE 102 is storedseparate (e.g., in separately addressable portions of the memory 106)from the usage data related to using a second application on the UE 102.

The user data usage analytics application 122 requests data (e.g., usagedata, counts of data used by the UE 102 per unit of time and possiblyseparated by application) from the data usage tracker application 120and analyzes this data to develop estimates of data usage for differenttime slots or partitions and for different days of weeks. Thus the userdata usage analytics application 122 may develop estimates for datausage by the UE 102 for each of 24 hour-long time slots of a day. Theuser data usage analytics application 122 may develop estimates for datausage by the UE 102 for each of 24 hour-long time slots of weekdays,other estimates for data usage by the UE 102 for each of 24 hour-longtime slots of Saturdays, and other estimates for data usage by the UE102 for each of 24 hour-long time slots of Sundays. The user data usageanalytics application 122 may develop estimates for data usage by the UE102 for each different application that executes on the UE 102 and thatengages in wireless communication with the network 112 via the cellularradio transceiver 108. The user data usage analytics application 122 maydevelop estimates for data usage by the UE 102 for each differentapplication for each of a plurality of time intervals. These estimatesof data usage may be referred to as usage analytics.

Based on this kind of usage analytics, given a day of the week and atime slot (e.g., in an API call sent to the user data usage analyticsapplication 122), the user data usage analytics application 122 canoutput an estimate of a data usage of the UE 102 on that day of the weekand during that time slot. Based on this kind of usage analytics, givenan application executing on the UE 102, the user data usage analyticsapplication 122 may output an estimate of a data usage of the UE 102when the subject application is executing.

In an embodiment, the user data usage analytics application 122 sendsusage analytics data to a data store 132 via the cell site 110 and thenetwork 112. The usage analytics data that the UE 102 sends to the datastore 132 may comprise the estimates of data usage of the UE 102 foreach different combination of day of the week and time slot. The usageanalytics data that the UE 102 sends to the data store 132 may comprisethe estimates of data usage of the UE 102 when executing each of theapplications that execute on the UE 102. In an embodiment, the usageanalytics data that the UE 102 sends to the data store 132 may comprisedata about when the UE 102 executes different applications and for howlong. Because the system 100 may comprise any number of UEs 102, it isunderstood that the data store 132 may store usage analytics data from alarge number of different UEs 102. The user data analytics application122 may also store the usage analytics data locally in the memory 106.In an embodiment, the user data analytics application 122 grooms theusage analytics data stored in the memory 106 by deleting usage datathat has aged out by exceeding a maximum pre-defined age threshold.

In an embodiment, the server 126 comprises a network analyticsapplication 128 and a network pricing application 130. The networkanalytics application 128 may access usage analytics data placed in thedata store 132 by a large plurality of UEs 102. The network analyticsapplication 128 may analyze the usage analytics to determine norms ofusage data for different categories of UEs 102 and/or subscribers. Thesenorms of usage data may be used to make projections for use with UEs 102that do not provide any usage analytics. The network analyticsapplication 128 may also determine network capability parameter valuesfor at least some UEs 102. The network analytics application 128 maytransmit the network capability parameter values for the UEs 102 to aplurality of cell sites 110. Alternatively, the network analyticsapplication 128 may store the network capability parameter values itdetermines for the UEs 102 in the data store 132, and cell sites 110 mayaccess data store 132 to look up a network capability parameter valuewhen the UE 102 initiates an attach process.

In an embodiment, the cell site 110 comprises a processor that executesa cell site analytics application 134. The cell site analyticapplication 134, in response to the UE 102 initiating an attach processwith the cell site 110, may access to data store 132 to look up usageanalytics data placed in the data store 132 by the UE 102. The cell siteanalytics application 134 may analyze the usage analytics dataassociated with the UE 102 to determine the network capability parametervalue for the UE 102. In an embodiment, the cell site analyticsapplication determines the radio resources to allocate to the UE 102during an attach process.

In an embodiment, the UE 102 further comprises a mode selection manager124 that can provide an interface to a user of the UE 102 to select anoption to authorize the cell site 110 and/or the network 112 (e.g., theoperator of the network 112) to assign a network capabilities parametervalue to the UE 102 that is less than the maximum compatible with thehardware capabilities of the UE 102. If the UE 102 does not select thisoption—does not “opt in”—the cell site 110 and/or the network 112determines the network capability parameter solely based on the hardwarecapabilities of the UE 102 and to assign the maximum value networkcapability parameter consistent with the hardware capabilities of the UE102. If the UE 102 opts-in, however, the cell site 110 and/or thenetwork 112 are authorized to determine the network capabilitiesparameter as described further above—based on usage analytics providingestimations of data usage of the UE 102 at the current time, on thecurrent day of the week, and/or while executing an application currentlyexecuting on the UE 102.

In an embodiment, the server 126 executes a network pricing application130 that calculates a dynamic wireless communication service fee that isbased on different levels of radio resources allocated to a UE 102 andbased on current or historical network traffic loads. The mode selectionmanager application 124 can request a current price quote from thenetwork pricing application 130, for example indexed to one or more datavolume, data rates, and radio resource configurations. The modeselection manager application 124 can present pricing information to theuser of the UE 102 and prompt the user to opt-in in order to access areduced price associated with the mode selection manager application 124negotiating with the cell site 110 and/or the network analyticsapplication 128 to be assigned a network capabilities parameter valuethat is less than the maximum value consistent with the hardwareconfiguration of the UE 102. The mode selection manager application 124can choose which of a possible plurality of different prices points topresent to the user based on usage analytics. For example, the modeselection manager application 124 may know that between noon and 4 PMthe UE 102 consumes little data volume and hence prompts the user toopt-in and select a network capability parameter value that isconsistent with a low data volume and a correspondingly low price point.The mode selection manager application 124 may know that between 9 PMand 11 PM the user streams video which consumes data at a high rate. Themode selection manager application 124 may present a selection toopt-out (which would lead to the cell site 110 assigning the networkcapabilities parameter value consistent with the hardware capabilitiesof the UE 102) or to select a pricing option that corresponds to ahigher data volume and rate and more advanced radio resource allocationfrom the cell site 110.

Turning now to FIG. 2 , a method 200 is described. In an embodiment,method 200 is a method of provisioning radio resources to a userequipment (UE) by a cell site. At block 202, the method 200 comprisesreceiving by a cell site an indication of a UE capability from a UE. Atblock 204, the method 200 comprises receiving by the cell site anindication from the UE of an application currently being used by the UE.

At block 206, the method 200 comprises determining by the cell site thatthe UE is opted in for assignment of radio resources to the UE that areless than the maximum radio resources consistent with the UE capabilityof the UE. For example, the mode selection manager application 124described above with reference to FIG. 1 provides this information tothe cell site. At block 208, the method 200 comprises determining by thecell site a value of a network capability parameter to associate to theUE that is less than a maximum value of the network capability parameterthat is compatible with the UE capability of the UE, wherein thedetermining is based on a subscription service plan associated with theUE and based on the application being used by the UE. The decisionmaking process of the cell site may include other factors such as a timeof day, a day of week, a historic data usage of the UE while executingthe subject application (as reported by the user data usage analyticsapplication 122 executing on the UE 102 using data supplied to it by thedata usage tracker application 120 executing on the UE 102. The cellsite may further make its determination based on current data trafficloads in the network.

At block 210, the method 200 comprises providing radio resources to theUE by the cell site based on the determined value of the networkcapability parameter.

Turning now to FIG. 3 , a method 230 is described. In an embodiment,method 230 is a method of provisioning radio resources to a userequipment (UE) by a cell site. At block 232, the method 230 comprisesreceiving by a cell site an indication of a UE capability from a UE. Atblock 234, the method 230 comprises determining by the cell site a valueof a network capability parameter to associate to the UE that is lessthan a maximum value of the network capability parameter that iscompatible with the UE capability of the UE, wherein the determining isbased on a subscription service plan associated with the UE.

At block 236, the method 230 comprises providing radio resources to theUE by the cell site based on the determined value of the networkcapability parameter, wherein the network capability parameter definesone of a radio modulation level, a carrier aggregation (CA) state, and amultiple input multiple output (MIMO) state.

FIG. 4 depicts the user equipment (UE) 400, which is operable forimplementing aspects of the present disclosure, but the presentdisclosure should not be limited to these implementations. Thoughillustrated as a mobile phone, the UE 400 may take various formsincluding a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a gaming device, or a media player. The UE 400 includes atouchscreen display 402 having a touch-sensitive surface for input by auser. A small number of application icons 404 are illustrated within thetouch screen display 402. It is understood that in differentembodiments, any number of application icons 404 may be presented in thetouch screen display 402. In some embodiments of the UE 400, a user maybe able to download and install additional applications on the UE 400,and an icon associated with such downloaded and installed applicationsmay be added to the touch screen display 402 or to an alternativescreen. The UE 400 may have other components such as electro-mechanicalswitches, speakers, camera lenses, microphones, input and/or outputconnectors, and other components as are well known in the art. The UE400 may present options for the user to select, controls for the user toactuate, and/or cursors or other indicators for the user to direct. TheUE 400 may further accept data entry from the user, including numbers todial or various parameter values for configuring the operation of thehandset. The UE 400 may further execute one or more software or firmwareapplications in response to user commands. These applications mayconfigure the UE 400 to perform various customized functions in responseto user interaction. Additionally, the UE 400 may be programmed and/orconfigured over-the-air, for example from a wireless base station, awireless access point, or a peer UE 400. The UE 400 may execute a webbrowser application which enables the touch screen display 402 to show aweb page. The web page may be obtained via wireless communications witha base transceiver station, a wireless network access node, a peer UE400 or any other wireless communication network or system.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the UE 400. While a variety of knowncomponents of handsets are depicted, in an embodiment a subset of thelisted components and/or additional components not listed may beincluded in the UE 400. The UE 400 includes a digital signal processor(DSP) 502 and a memory 504. As shown, the UE 400 may further include oneor more antenna and front end unit 506, a one or more radio frequency(RF) transceiver 508, a baseband processing unit 510, a microphone 512,an earpiece speaker 514, a headset port 516, an input/output interface518, a removable memory card 520, a universal serial bus (USB) port 522,an infrared port 524, a vibrator 526, one or more electro-mechanicalswitches 528, a touch screen display 530, a touch screen controller 532,a camera 534, a camera controller 536, and a global positioning system(GPS) receiver 538. In an embodiment, the UE 400 may include anotherkind of display that does not provide a touch sensitive screen. In anembodiment, the UE 400 may include both the touch screen display 530 andadditional display component that does not provide a touch sensitivescreen. In an embodiment, the DSP 502 may communicate directly with thememory 504 without passing through the input/output interface 518.Additionally, in an embodiment, the UE 400 may comprise other peripheraldevices that provide other functionality.

The DSP 502 or some other form of controller or central processing unitoperates to control the various components of the UE 400 in accordancewith embedded software or firmware stored in memory 504 or stored inmemory contained within the DSP 502 itself. In addition to the embeddedsoftware or firmware, the DSP 502 may execute other applications storedin the memory 504 or made available via information carrier media suchas portable data storage media like the removable memory card 520 or viawired or wireless network communications. The application software maycomprise a compiled set of machine-readable instructions that configurethe DSP 502 to provide the desired functionality, or the applicationsoftware may be high-level software instructions to be processed by aninterpreter or compiler to indirectly configure the DSP 502.

The DSP 502 may communicate with a wireless network via the analogbaseband processing unit 510. In some embodiments, the communication mayprovide Internet connectivity, enabling a user to gain access to contenton the Internet and to send and receive e-mail or text messages. Theinput/output interface 518 interconnects the DSP 502 and variousmemories and interfaces. The memory 504 and the removable memory card520 may provide software and data to configure the operation of the DSP502. Among the interfaces may be the USB port 522 and the infrared port524. The USB port 522 may enable the UE 400 to function as a peripheraldevice to exchange information with a personal computer or othercomputer system. The infrared port 524 and other optional ports such asa Bluetooth® interface or an IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless interfacemay enable the UE 400 to communicate wirelessly with other nearbyhandsets and/or wireless base stations.

In an embodiment, one or more of the radio transceivers is a cellularradio transceiver. A cellular radio transceiver promotes establishing awireless communication link with a cell site according to one or more ofa 5G, a long term evolution (LTE), a code division multiple access(CDMA), a global system for mobile communications (GSM) wirelesscommunication protocol. In an embodiment, one of the radio transceivers508 may comprise a near field communication (NFC) transceiver. The NFCtransceiver may be used to complete payment transactions withpoint-of-sale terminals or other communications exchanges. In anembodiment, each of the different radio transceivers 508 may be coupledto its own separate antenna. In an embodiment, the UE 400 may comprise aradio frequency identify (RFID) reader and/or writer device.

The switches 528 may couple to the DSP 502 via the input/outputinterface 518 to provide one mechanism for the user to provide input tothe UE 400. Alternatively, one or more of the switches 528 may becoupled to a motherboard of the UE 400 and/or to components of the UE400 via a different path (e.g., not via the input/output interface 518),for example coupled to a power control circuit (power button) of the UE400. The touch screen display 530 is another input mechanism, whichfurther displays text and/or graphics to the user. The touch screen LCDcontroller 532 couples the DSP 502 to the touch screen display 530. TheGPS receiver 538 is coupled to the DSP 502 to decode global positioningsystem signals, thereby enabling the UE 400 to determine its position.

Turning now to FIG. 6A, an exemplary communication system 550 isdescribed. In an embodiment, at least some of the communication system100 described above with reference to FIG. 1 may be implemented inaccordance with the communication system 550 described with reference toFIG. 6A and FIG. 6B. Typically, the communication system 550 includes anumber of access nodes 554 that are configured to provide coverage inwhich UEs 552 such as cell phones, tablet computers,machine-type-communication devices, tracking devices, embedded wirelessmodules, and/or other wirelessly equipped communication devices (whetheror not user operated), can operate. The access nodes 554 may be said toestablish an access network 556. The access network 556 may be referredto as a radio access network (RAN) in some contexts. In a 5G technologygeneration an access node 554 may be referred to as a gigabit Node B(gNB). In 4G technology (e.g., long term evolution (LTE) technology) anaccess node 554 may be referred to as an enhanced Node B (eNB). In 3Gtechnology (e.g., code division multiple access (CDMA) and global systemfor mobile communication (GSM)) an access node 554 may be referred to asa base transceiver station (BTS) combined with a basic stationcontroller (BSC). In some contexts, the access node 554 may be referredto as a cell site or a cell tower. In some implementations, a picocellmay provide some of the functionality of an access node 554, albeit witha constrained coverage area. Each of these different embodiments of anaccess node 554 may be considered to provide roughly similar functionsin the different technology generations.

In an embodiment, the access network 556 comprises a first access node554 a, a second access node 554 b, and a third access node 554 c. It isunderstood that the access network 556 may include any number of accessnodes 554. Further, each access node 554 could be coupled with a corenetwork 558 that provides connectivity with various application servers559 and/or a network 560. In an embodiment, at least some of theapplication servers 559 may be located close to the network edge (e.g.,geographically close to the UE 552 and the end user) to deliverso-called “edge computing.” The network 560 may be one or more privatenetworks, one or more public networks, or a combination thereof. Thenetwork 560 may comprise the public switched telephone network (PSTN).The network 560 may comprise the Internet. With this arrangement, a UE552 within coverage of the access network 556 could engage inair-interface communication with an access node 554 and could therebycommunicate via the access node 554 with various application servers andother entities.

The communication system 550 could operate in accordance with aparticular radio access technology (RAT), with communications from anaccess node 554 to UEs 552 defining a downlink or forward link andcommunications from the UEs 552 to the access node 554 defining anuplink or reverse link. Over the years, the industry has developedvarious generations of RATs, in a continuous effort to increaseavailable data rate and quality of service for end users. Thesegenerations have ranged from “1G,” which used simple analog frequencymodulation to facilitate basic voice-call service, to “4G”—such as LongTerm Evolution (LTE), which now facilitates mobile broadband serviceusing technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(OFDM) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO).

Recently, the industry has been exploring developments in “5G” andparticularly “5G NR” (5G New Radio), which may use a scalable OFDM airinterface, advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, mobilemmWave (e.g., frequency bands above 24 GHz), and/or other features, tosupport higher data rates and countless applications, such asmission-critical services, enhanced mobile broadband, and massiveInternet of Things (IoT). 5G is hoped to provide virtually unlimitedbandwidth on demand, for example providing access on demand to as muchas 20 gigabits per second (Gbps) downlink data throughput and as much as10 Gbps uplink data throughput. Due to the increased bandwidthassociated with 5G, it is expected that the new networks will serve, inaddition to conventional cell phones, general internet service providersfor laptops and desktop computers, competing with existing ISPs such ascable internet, and also will make possible new applications in internetof things (IoT) and machine to machine areas.

In accordance with the RAT, each access node 554 could provide serviceon one or more radio-frequency (RF) carriers, each of which could befrequency division duplex (FDD), with separate frequency channels fordownlink and uplink communication, or time division duplex (TDD), with asingle frequency channel multiplexed over time between downlink anduplink use. Each such frequency channel could be defined as a specificrange of frequency (e.g., in radio-frequency (RF) spectrum) having abandwidth and a center frequency and thus extending from a low-endfrequency to a high-end frequency. Further, on the downlink and uplinkchannels, the coverage of each access node 554 could define an airinterface configured in a specific manner to define physical resourcesfor carrying information wirelessly between the access node 554 and UEs552.

Without limitation, for instance, the air interface could be dividedover time into frames, subframes, and symbol time segments, and overfrequency into subcarriers that could be modulated to carry data. Theexample air interface could thus define an array of time-frequencyresource elements each being at a respective symbol time segment andsubcarrier, and the subcarrier of each resource element could bemodulated to carry data. Further, in each subframe or other transmissiontime interval (TTI), the resource elements on the downlink and uplinkcould be grouped to define physical resource blocks (PRBs) that theaccess node could allocate as needed to carry data between the accessnode and served UEs 552.

In addition, certain resource elements on the example air interfacecould be reserved for special purposes. For instance, on the downlink,certain resource elements could be reserved to carry synchronizationsignals that UEs 552 could detect as an indication of the presence ofcoverage and to establish frame timing, other resource elements could bereserved to carry a reference signal that UEs 552 could measure in orderto determine coverage strength, and still other resource elements couldbe reserved to carry other control signaling such as PRB-schedulingdirectives and acknowledgement messaging from the access node 554 toserved UEs 552. And on the uplink, certain resource elements could bereserved to carry random access signaling from UEs 552 to the accessnode 554, and other resource elements could be reserved to carry othercontrol signaling such as PRB-scheduling requests and acknowledgementsignaling from UEs 552 to the access node 554.

The access node 554, in some instances, may be split functionally into aradio unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU) whereeach of the RU, DU, and CU have distinctive roles to play in the accessnetwork 556. The RU provides radio functions. The DU provides L1 and L2real-time scheduling functions; and the CU provides higher L2 and L3non-real time scheduling. This split supports flexibility in deployingthe DU and CU. The CU may be hosted in a regional cloud data center. TheDU may be co-located with the RU, or the DU may be hosted in an edgecloud data center.

Turning now to FIG. 6B, further details of the core network 558 aredescribed. In an embodiment, the core network 558 is a 5G core network.5G core network technology is based on a service based architectureparadigm. Rather than constructing the 5G core network as a series ofspecial purpose communication nodes (e.g., an HSS node, a MME node,etc.) running on dedicated server computers, the 5G core network isprovided as a set of services or network functions. These services ornetwork functions can be executed on virtual servers in a cloudcomputing environment which supports dynamic scaling and avoidance oflong-term capital expenditures (fees for use may substitute for capitalexpenditures). These network functions can include, for example, a userplane function (UPF) 579, an authentication server function (AUSF) 575,an access and mobility management function (AMF) 576, a sessionmanagement function (SMF) 577, a network exposure function (NEF) 570, anetwork repository function (NRF) 571, a policy control function (PCF)572, a unified data management (UDM) 573, a network slice selectionfunction (NSSF) 574, and other network functions. The network functionsmay be referred to as virtual network functions (VNFs) in some contexts.

Network functions may be formed by a combination of small pieces ofsoftware called microservices. Some microservices can be re-used incomposing different network functions, thereby leveraging the utility ofsuch microservices. Network functions may offer services to othernetwork functions by extending application programming interfaces (APIs)to those other network functions that call their services via the APIs.The 5G core network 558 may be segregated into a user plane 580 and acontrol plane 582, thereby promoting independent scalability, evolution,and flexible deployment.

The UPF 579 delivers packet processing and links the UE 552, via theaccess network 556, to a data network 590 (e.g., the network 560illustrated in FIG. 6A). The AMF 576 handles registration and connectionmanagement of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling with the UE 552. Saidin other words, the AMF 576 manages UE registration and mobility issues.The AMF 576 manages reachability of the UEs 552 as well as varioussecurity issues. The SMF 577 handles session management issues.Specifically, the SMF 577 creates, updates, and removes (destroys)protocol data unit (PDU) sessions and manages the session context withinthe UPF 579. The SMF 577 decouples other control plane functions fromuser plane functions by performing dynamic host configuration protocol(DHCP) functions and IP address management functions. The AUSF 575facilitates security processes.

The NEF 570 securely exposes the services and capabilities provided bynetwork functions. The NRF 571 supports service registration by networkfunctions and discovery of network functions by other network functions.The PCF 572 supports policy control decisions and flow based chargingcontrol. The UDM 573 manages network user data and can be paired with auser data repository (UDR) that stores user data such as customerprofile information, customer authentication number, and encryption keysfor the information. An application function 592, which may be locatedoutside of the core network 558, exposes the application layer forinteracting with the core network 558. In an embodiment, the applicationfunction 592 may be execute on an application server 559 locatedgeographically proximate to the UE 552 in an “edge computing” deploymentmode. The core network 558 can provide a network slice to a subscriber,for example an enterprise customer, that is composed of a plurality of5G network functions that are configured to provide customizedcommunication service for that subscriber, for example to providecommunication service in accordance with communication policies definedby the customer. The NSSF 574 can help the AMF 576 to select the networkslice instance (NSI) for use with the UE 552.

FIG. 7A illustrates a software environment 602 that may be implementedby the DSP 502. The DSP 502 executes operating system software 604 thatprovides a platform from which the rest of the software operates. Theoperating system software 604 may provide a variety of drivers for thehandset hardware with standardized interfaces that are accessible toapplication software. The operating system software 604 may be coupledto and interact with application management services (AMS) 606 thattransfer control between applications running on the UE 400. Also shownin FIG. 7A are a web browser application 608, a media player application610, and JAVA applets 612. The web browser application 608 may beexecuted by the UE 400 to browse content and/or the Internet, forexample when the UE 400 is coupled to a network via a wireless link. Theweb browser application 608 may permit a user to enter information intoforms and select links to retrieve and view web pages. The media playerapplication 610 may be executed by the UE 400 to play audio oraudiovisual media. The JAVA applets 612 may be executed by the UE 400 toprovide a variety of functionality including games, utilities, and otherfunctionality.

FIG. 7B illustrates an alternative software environment 620 that may beimplemented by the DSP 502. The DSP 502 executes operating system kernel(OS kernel) 628 and an execution runtime 630. The DSP 502 executesapplications 622 that may execute in the execution runtime 630 and mayrely upon services provided by the application framework 624.Applications 622 and the application framework 624 may rely uponfunctionality provided via the libraries 626.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computer system 380 suitable for implementing oneor more embodiments disclosed herein. The computer system 380 includes aprocessor 382 (which may be referred to as a central processor unit orCPU) that is in communication with memory devices including secondarystorage 384, read only memory (ROM) 386, random access memory (RAM) 388,input/output (I/O) devices 390, and network connectivity devices 392.The processor 382 may be implemented as one or more CPU chips.

It is understood that by programming and/or loading executableinstructions onto the computer system 380, at least one of the CPU 382,the RAM 388, and the ROM 386 are changed, transforming the computersystem 380 in part into a particular machine or apparatus having thenovel functionality taught by the present disclosure. It is fundamentalto the electrical engineering and software engineering arts thatfunctionality that can be implemented by loading executable softwareinto a computer can be converted to a hardware implementation bywell-known design rules. Decisions between implementing a concept insoftware versus hardware typically hinge on considerations of stabilityof the design and numbers of units to be produced rather than any issuesinvolved in translating from the software domain to the hardware domain.Generally, a design that is still subject to frequent change may bepreferred to be implemented in software, because re-spinning a hardwareimplementation is more expensive than re-spinning a software design.Generally, a design that is stable that will be produced in large volumemay be preferred to be implemented in hardware, for example in anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), because for largeproduction runs the hardware implementation may be less expensive thanthe software implementation. Often a design may be developed and testedin a software form and later transformed, by well-known design rules, toan equivalent hardware implementation in an application specificintegrated circuit that hardwires the instructions of the software. Inthe same manner as a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a particularmachine or apparatus, likewise a computer that has been programmedand/or loaded with executable instructions may be viewed as a particularmachine or apparatus.

Additionally, after the system 380 is turned on or booted, the CPU 382may execute a computer program or application. For example, the CPU 382may execute software or firmware stored in the ROM 386 or stored in theRAM 388. In some cases, on boot and/or when the application isinitiated, the CPU 382 may copy the application or portions of theapplication from the secondary storage 384 to the RAM 388 or to memoryspace within the CPU 382 itself, and the CPU 382 may then executeinstructions that the application is comprised of. In some cases, theCPU 382 may copy the application or portions of the application frommemory accessed via the network connectivity devices 392 or via the I/Odevices 390 to the RAM 388 or to memory space within the CPU 382, andthe CPU 382 may then execute instructions that the application iscomprised of. During execution, an application may load instructionsinto the CPU 382, for example load some of the instructions of theapplication into a cache of the CPU 382. In some contexts, anapplication that is executed may be said to configure the CPU 382 to dosomething, e.g., to configure the CPU 382 to perform the function orfunctions promoted by the subject application. When the CPU 382 isconfigured in this way by the application, the CPU 382 becomes aspecific purpose computer or a specific purpose machine.

The secondary storage 384 is typically comprised of one or more diskdrives or tape drives and is used for non-volatile storage of data andas an over-flow data storage device if RAM 388 is not large enough tohold all working data. Secondary storage 384 may be used to storeprograms which are loaded into RAM 388 when such programs are selectedfor execution. The ROM 386 is used to store instructions and perhapsdata which are read during program execution. ROM 386 is a non-volatilememory device which typically has a small memory capacity relative tothe larger memory capacity of secondary storage 384. The RAM 388 is usedto store volatile data and perhaps to store instructions. Access to bothROM 386 and RAM 388 is typically faster than to secondary storage 384.The secondary storage 384, the RAM 388, and/or the ROM 386 may bereferred to in some contexts as computer readable storage media and/ornon-transitory computer readable media.

I/O devices 390 may include printers, video monitors, liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs), touch screen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches,dials, mice, track balls, voice recognizers, card readers, paper tapereaders, or other well-known input devices.

The network connectivity devices 392 may take the form of modems, modembanks, Ethernet cards, universal serial bus (USB) interface cards,serial interfaces, token ring cards, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) cards, wireless local area network (WLAN) cards, radiotransceiver cards, and/or other well-known network devices. The networkconnectivity devices 392 may provide wired communication links and/orwireless communication links (e.g., a first network connectivity device392 may provide a wired communication link and a second networkconnectivity device 392 may provide a wireless communication link).Wired communication links may be provided in accordance with Ethernet(IEEE 802.3), Internet protocol (IP), time division multiplex (TDM),data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS), wavelengthdivision multiplexing (WDM), and/or the like. In an embodiment, theradio transceiver cards may provide wireless communication links usingprotocols such as code division multiple access (CDMA), global systemfor mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiFi (IEEE802.11), Bluetooth, Zigbee, narrowband Internet of things (NB IoT), nearfield communications (NFC), and radio frequency identity (RFID). Theradio transceiver cards may promote radio communications using 5G, 5GNew Radio, or 5G LTE radio communication protocols. These networkconnectivity devices 392 may enable the processor 382 to communicatewith the Internet or one or more intranets. With such a networkconnection, it is contemplated that the processor 382 might receiveinformation from the network, or might output information to the networkin the course of performing the above-described method steps. Suchinformation, which is often represented as a sequence of instructions tobe executed using processor 382, may be received from and outputted tothe network, for example, in the form of a computer data signal embodiedin a carrier wave.

Such information, which may include data or instructions to be executedusing processor 382 for example, may be received from and outputted tothe network, for example, in the form of a computer data baseband signalor signal embodied in a carrier wave. The baseband signal or signalembedded in the carrier wave, or other types of signals currently usedor hereafter developed, may be generated according to several methodswell-known to one skilled in the art. The baseband signal and/or signalembedded in the carrier wave may be referred to in some contexts as atransitory signal.

The processor 382 executes instructions, codes, computer programs,scripts which it accesses from hard disk, floppy disk, optical disk(these various disk based systems may all be considered secondarystorage 384), flash drive, ROM 386, RAM 388, or the network connectivitydevices 392. While only one processor 382 is shown, multiple processorsmay be present. Thus, while instructions may be discussed as executed bya processor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially,or otherwise executed by one or multiple processors. Instructions,codes, computer programs, scripts, and/or data that may be accessed fromthe secondary storage 384, for example, hard drives, floppy disks,optical disks, and/or other device, the ROM 386, and/or the RAM 388 maybe referred to in some contexts as non-transitory instructions and/ornon-transitory information.

In an embodiment, the computer system 380 may comprise two or morecomputers in communication with each other that collaborate to perform atask. For example, but not by way of limitation, an application may bepartitioned in such a way as to permit concurrent and/or parallelprocessing of the instructions of the application. Alternatively, thedata processed by the application may be partitioned in such a way as topermit concurrent and/or parallel processing of different portions of adata set by the two or more computers. In an embodiment, virtualizationsoftware may be employed by the computer system 380 to provide thefunctionality of a number of servers that is not directly bound to thenumber of computers in the computer system 380. For example,virtualization software may provide twenty virtual servers on fourphysical computers. In an embodiment, the functionality disclosed abovemay be provided by executing the application and/or applications in acloud computing environment. Cloud computing may comprise providingcomputing services via a network connection using dynamically scalablecomputing resources. Cloud computing may be supported, at least in part,by virtualization software. A cloud computing environment may beestablished by an enterprise and/or may be hired on an as-needed basisfrom a third party provider. Some cloud computing environments maycomprise cloud computing resources owned and operated by the enterpriseas well as cloud computing resources hired and/or leased from a thirdparty provider.

In an embodiment, some or all of the functionality disclosed above maybe provided as a computer program product. The computer program productmay comprise one or more computer readable storage medium havingcomputer usable program code embodied therein to implement thefunctionality disclosed above. The computer program product may comprisedata structures, executable instructions, and other computer usableprogram code. The computer program product may be embodied in removablecomputer storage media and/or non-removable computer storage media. Theremovable computer readable storage medium may comprise, withoutlimitation, a paper tape, a magnetic tape, magnetic disk, an opticaldisk, a solid state memory chip, for example analog magnetic tape,compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) disks, floppy disks, jump drives,digital cards, multimedia cards, and others. The computer programproduct may be suitable for loading, by the computer system 380, atleast portions of the contents of the computer program product to thesecondary storage 384, to the ROM 386, to the RAM 388, and/or to othernon-volatile memory and volatile memory of the computer system 380. Theprocessor 382 may process the executable instructions and/or datastructures in part by directly accessing the computer program product,for example by reading from a CD-ROM disk inserted into a disk driveperipheral of the computer system 380. Alternatively, the processor 382may process the executable instructions and/or data structures byremotely accessing the computer program product, for example bydownloading the executable instructions and/or data structures from aremote server through the network connectivity devices 392. The computerprogram product may comprise instructions that promote the loadingand/or copying of data, data structures, files, and/or executableinstructions to the secondary storage 384, to the ROM 386, to the RAM388, and/or to other non-volatile memory and volatile memory of thecomputer system 380.

In some contexts, the secondary storage 384, the ROM 386, and the RAM388 may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium or acomputer readable storage media. A dynamic RAM embodiment of the RAM388, likewise, may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readablemedium in that while the dynamic RAM receives electrical power and isoperated in accordance with its design, for example during a period oftime during which the computer system 380 is turned on and operational,the dynamic RAM stores information that is written to it. Similarly, theprocessor 382 may comprise an internal RAM, an internal ROM, a cachememory, and/or other internal non-transitory storage blocks, sections,or components that may be referred to in some contexts as non-transitorycomputer readable media or computer readable storage media.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spiritor scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is notto be limited to the details given herein. For example, the variouselements or components may be combined or integrated in another systemor certain features may be omitted or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating witheach other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through someinterface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically,mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions,and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could bemade without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of provisioning radio resources to auser equipment (UE) by a cell site, comprising: receiving by a cell sitean indication of a UE capability from a UE; determining by the cell sitea value of a network capability parameter to associate to the UE that isless than a maximum value of the network capability parameter that iscompatible with the UE capability of the UE, wherein the determining isbased on a subscription service plan associated with the UE; andproviding radio resources to the UE by the cell site based on thedetermined value of the network capability parameter, wherein thenetwork capability parameter defines one of a radio modulation level, acarrier aggregation (CA) state, and a multiple input multiple output(MIMO) state.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the value ofthe network capability parameter further comprising reading a networkcapability parameter value associated with the UE from a data store. 3.The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving usage analytics fromthe UE, wherein the usage analytics provide a data usage estimate pertime slot, and wherein determining the value of the network capabilityparameter is based further on the usage analytics.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving usage analytics from the UE,wherein the usage analytics provide a data usage estimate per differentdays of the week, and wherein determining the value of the networkcapability parameter is based further on the usage analytics.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising receiving usage analytics from theUE, wherein the usage analytics provide a data usage estimate for anapplication and receiving an indication of an application being executedby the UE, and wherein determining the value of the network capabilityparameter is based further on the usage analytics.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the UE is a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a wearable computer, a headset computer, alaptop computer, a notebook computer, or a tablet computer.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the indication of the UE capabilityidentifies at least one of a chipset installed in the UE or an antennaconfiguration of the UE.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theindication of the UE capability identifies at least one of a maximumquadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellation capability of the UEor radio frequency bands supported by the UE.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the radio resources comprise a carrier aggregation mode ofoperation or a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode of operation.10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining by the cellsite that the UE is opted in for assignment of radio resources to the UEthat are less than the maximum radio resources consistent with the UEcapability of the UE.
 11. A method of provisioning radio resources to auser equipment (UE) by a cell site, comprising: receiving by a cell sitean indication of a UE capability from a UE; receiving by the cell sitean indication from the UE of an application currently being used by theUE; determining by the cell site that the UE is opted in for assignmentof radio resources to the UE that are less than the maximum radioresources consistent with the UE capability of the UE; determining bythe cell site a value of a network capability parameter to associate tothe UE that is less than a maximum value of the network capabilityparameter that is compatible with the UE capability of the UE, whereinthe determining is based on a subscription service plan associated withthe UE and based on the application being used by the UE; and providingradio resources to the UE by the cell site based on the determined valueof the network capability parameter.
 12. The method of claim 11, whereinthe indication of the UE capability identifies a chipset installed inthe UE.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication of the UEcapability identifies an antenna configuration of the UE.
 14. The methodof claim 11, wherein the indication of the UE capability identifies amaximum quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellation capabilityof the UE.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication of the UEcapability identifies radio frequency bands supported by the UE.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the radio resources comprise a carrieraggregation mode of operation.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein theradio resources comprise a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode ofoperation.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising receivingusage analytics from the UE, wherein the usage analytics provide a datausage estimate per time slot, and wherein determining the value of thenetwork capability parameter is based further on the usage analytics.19. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving usage analyticsfrom the UE, wherein the usage analytics provide a data usage estimateper different days of the week, and wherein determining the value of thenetwork capability parameter is based further on the usage analytics.20. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving usage analyticsfrom the UE, wherein the usage analytics provide a data usage estimatefor the application being executed by the UE, and wherein determiningthe value of the network capability parameter is based further on theusage analytics.